Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PALLIATIVE CARE
Ns. Wahyu Dewi S., M.S
STIKES WIYATA HUSADA SAMARINDA
My friend I care
Don’t tell me how my grief will pass; that I will soon be free.
.......Just hold my hand and let me cry; and say… “my friend, I care”
“True listening is love in
action” – M. Scott Peck
Core principles of
communication
Respect
Emphaty
Trust
Health professional
patients
Possible barriers that may hinder the professionals
Be empathetic Ns: take these tablets and your Ns: breathlessness can be very frightening;
E.g: Pt: I feel very breathing will improve what sort of fears do you feel when you are
scared when I am breathless?
short of breath
Balancing hope and Ns: There is nothing more we can do, Ns: I am afraid there is no more treatment
truth your disease is incurable and there is no available to cure your disease. But we can
point in continuing in staying in the definitely keep you comfortable with
hospital. regular evaluation and medications.
Here the nurse may be We are with you.
destroying hope irrevocably
Ns: You have not taken the medicine Ns: Tell me why were you unable to take the
Therapeutic for your pain as advised. Don’t waste medicines? I would like to understand
relationship my time. further.
Here, the nurse is not interested in Did you have any trouble when you started
understanding reasons why the them?
medicines were not taken and Do you have any questions or
correcting them. clarifications?
communicate with patients with advanced and
progressive diseases
25 year old Mrs. Gita has come to the hospital. She has
been diagnosed to have advanced cancer of the stomach.
She has not been eating much for the last 5 days. She has
not been interacting with her family and has been mostly
confined to her room. She has even stopped telling
stories, one of her favourite pastimes to her little niece to
whom she used to be very close.
She wishes to speak to the nurse alone and says,
“Chemotherapy is not helping me. I cannot stand it. Sister,
please help me. I want to die.”
The strategies
Do
Do not immediately
notphilosophiseorm
reply
oralise
Avoid meaningless
Avoid comparisons
words